Abstract:

Flexible work arrangement (FWA) are increasingly promoted as mechanisms to support work-life balance; however, limited research explains the underlying processes through which FWA translate into sustainable careers. Addressing this gap, this study adopts an inductive qualitative approach to develop a process model that explains how FWA enable sustainable careers for women in the knowledge-intensive industry, such as the ICT sector, in Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing on fourteen semi-structured interviews with women professionals, we employed thematic analysis to develop an understanding of FWA as a mechanism to support Sustainable Career.

Our findings reveal that access to FWA does not directly produce sustainable careers; rather, it operates through a mediating mechanism of Collective Agency. Participants described how collective agency, as a factor, shaped their FWA adoption in relation to perceived career sustainability. This collective agency enabled women to better manage work–life integration and promote sustainable careers.

By developing an emergent process model grounded in participants’ experiences, this study contributes to research on Flexible work arrangement and Sustainable careers by shifting attention from access to FWA as a structural benefit toward understanding the agentic mechanisms that make flexibility effective. The findings advance theory by integrating empowerment perspectives with sustainable career research and offer practical implications for organisations seeking to design flexibility policies that genuinely support women’s long-term sustainable careers.

KEYWORDS: Flexible work arrangement, Sustainable career, Collective Agency, Thematic analysis, Women, ICT

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Human Resource Management

Keywords: Strategic HRM;Organizational behaviour and psychological state;Diversity and equality;Stress and well-being;Future of work, technology & Innovation

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Dr. Paula Arbouw